Hi! My Name Is..Basketball and Rap will always be synonymous with one another. It’s no secret that most basketball players want to be rappers and most MCs want to hoop. When I first got to Dime I came up with the idea of comparing the two occupations. Surprisingly, many thought that my comparisons were even more accurate than I initially suspected.
Well, the NBA and the rap game have change a lot since my original observations. I decided to re-do the comparisons. Just so you know, I based my comparisons mostly on the NBA player and rapper’s collection of work as well as what they are doing currently.
Dirk Nowitzki and Eminem.
What do Dirk and Slim Shady possibly have in common you ask?
Well, both guys have already established themselves as bona fide stars in their respective fields, they both are icons in regards for what they have done over their careers; Dirk for helping solidify the surge of international players in the NBA and more importantly being one of the first versatile big men in the League.
Marshall Mathers will live forever in rap lore due to his smashing of the color barrier that existed in rap. Eminem was the first white rapper to be totally accepted by the rap community. Yeah, there were guys before him (MC Serch and Everlast) but ‘Em is THE pioneer for aspiring white rappers. Mathers is also responsible for discovering 50 Cent and helping Aftermath/Interscope Records become a powerhouse in the rap game.
Both have been mentored/trained by the best…
Former German professional basketball player and legendary trainer Holger Geschwindner took Dirk under his wing at the age 15 and helped cultivate Nowitzki into the player he is today with his celebrated unorthodox training regiments. Dirk’s off-season workouts are the reason why at seven feet he moves the way he does.
One of the fathers of Gangster and West Coast Rap, and quite frankly the greatest producer in hip-hop history, Dr. Dre, took a liking to Eminem after hearing his demo, and in 1998 started recording his classic album “The Slim Shady LP.”
Slim Shady
Both have solidified themselves as All-Stars in their respective professions…
Its no question that Dirk and Eminem get busy. Eminem’s list of rewards is absolutely ridiculous. He received an Academy Award in 2002 for his song “Lose Yourself.” From 2001 to 2005 he received six American Music Awards, won Billboard Music Awards’ album of the year in 2002, and was named Lyricist of the Year by Source Magazine in 2000, 2002, and 2005. Quite a resume’.
Dirk is no slouch himself. In 2006 Dirk won the NBA Three Point Shootout, Nowitzki is a seven time NBA All-Star (eight time All-NBA team), and the first European-born player to be named NBA MVP (2006-2007). Dirk also is as big in Germany as David Hasselhoff. He is an icon in his homeland and was named European Basketballer of the Year” five times in a row by Gazzetta dello Sport. Dirk also was elected Most Valuable Player in the 2002 FIBA World Championships and 2005 FIBA European Championships. To throw icing on the cake, Nowitzki holds several Mavericks franchise records relating to scoring, free throw shooting and rebounding.
In recent times both Dirk and Eminem have been no where to be found…
Two straight first round playoff losses for Dirk and the Mavs has hurt Dirk’s image severely. Despite averaging 23.6 points per game and acquiring all-world point guard Jason Kidd, the Mavs got beat on by CP3 and the New Orleans Hornets. Many say it’s Dirk’s inability to be a consummate team leader that is holding him back. Although he is still one of the best players in the L, Dirk seems to fall back and blend in with everyone else.
In 2005, Eminem decided to take a break from rap. Some say this hiatus was fueled by family issues Slim Shady was having as well as some personal issues. Em would pop up here and there laying down verses on 50 and other artists’ tracks. No talk was made of another solo album though. Here we are in 2008 and we haven’t had any new music from Em, while there has been talk of an album titled “Relapse,” we’re still waiting for Slim Shady to come back to the rap game.
With the Mavs losing to the Hornets last year in the playoffs, this year Dirk has to prove that he can guide Dallas back to Western Conference supremacy and reclaim his spot as one of the best players in the NBA.
If Eminem does release an album this year he is going to have to bring that heat. He can’t disappoint his fans who have been thirsty for new Eminem music for almost three years now. Marshall Mathers is one of the greatest rappers ever so he has a lot to live up to.
NBA/Rapper Comparisons
Chris Paul & Lil Wayne
Related posts:
November 7th, 2008 at 10:50 am
barons beard says:
Erm, well they are both white. That is about the only way can see how Dirk and Eminem are anything alike
November 7th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Ibleedraptorpurple says:
thats the best you could do for dirk?… why not say he was vanilla ice. Id say he’s like Young Jeezy….. pretty good but never to his full potential, or as good as the others around him.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Yoooo says:
Word other than pigmentation I don’t see it.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:00 am
doc says:
Two white people is all I see.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:31 am
karizmatic says:
I can see what you’re saying, but I’d have to say that Em reached a higher pinnacle than Dirk. Em’s classic run where he dropped the Eminem show the Eight Mile movie and the Eight Mile soundtrack, plus put 50 on, has got to be worth at least one relative NBA championship. Dirk doesn’t have a ring yet so not quite an equal comparison.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Zach says:
I agree with the above posts. I would say Em is more like AI (In the if you dont like me F*** you, I don’t care way) Dirk is a choke artist in the clutch I don’t see that from Em.
@ CGF
Eminem is VERY quietly becoming one of the best producers in hip hop. You just don’t ever hear about him producing. Look up his production creds, dude is sick. Even though he hasn’t been rappin he has still been producing for the last 3 years.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:55 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
This is a big insult to one of the best rappers ever.
Way to make a comparison that makes no sense.
How about Em and LeBron. Both completely changed the game.
Its not about skin color but skill.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:57 am
jay26th says:
Em’s beats are too hard for Dirk.
Maybe call him Janet Jackson for not showing up to the big shows.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Bondzai says:
After Relapse comes out, Em will be back on top and Dirk will still be getting booted from first rounds.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Shakers says:
Like I said yesterday, Em is a much better comparison with Larry Bird. White people think they are the greatest of all time, black people think they are overrated because they’re white. Either way, everyone can agree that they are on the short list of greatest at their art.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Brown says:
Umm, CGF, you said Em hasn’t released any new music this year?
Have a listen, this song came out less than 2 months ago.
http://www.divshare.com/download/launch/5602187-72f
You’re right though, he needs to bring that heat, and this song is ice cold. If this song is an indication of where Em’s at right now, I have a feeling relapse will end his career.
Four albums:
1 certified classic (Marshall Mathers LP)
1 great album (Slim Shady LP)
1 good album (Eminem Show)
1 failed attempt (Encore)
If Relapse isn’t better than Eminem Show, that resume isn’t exactly staggering, which is pretty much how I look at Dirk’s resume. It looks nice, but it’s just not enough.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Hoveys Home says:
The only thing Dirk probably has in common with rappers is that they say n*gga alot
November 7th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Hoveys Home says:
And Shakers is on point with that statement…
November 7th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Zach says:
Forgot to mention about a month ago Eminem was named the BEST RAP ALIVE by Vibe. (The bracketed tournament was kinda whack but anyway) And he hasn’t dropped an album in 3 years and still has fan power like that. Three years after Dirk leaves the NBA I doubt we’ll be talking about him.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
chronically_ill says:
Yo, CGF, you’ve been catching alot of flak for these posts (rightfully so, I might add. I mean comparing Chris Paul, who is already the top point in the game and is on his way to being one of the greats of all time to the latest mediocore commercial rapper? Really?), but dont let the hate stop you from continuing these posts. We may not agree, but it’s definitely a lot of fun comparing ballers to MCs.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
chronically_ill says:
I’m curious to see how y’all are gonna compare group acts. The Roots have got to be the Pistons or the Spurs. The Roots have been consistently bringing the heat for several years now, and yet still have not gotten the mainstream shine that lesser acts have gotten. And like the Pistons and Spurs, the Roots are all about the group. While each individual does get his chance to shine, no one is bigger than the group. The Roots play as one, cohseive unit.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
chronically_ill says:
Haha and I wish Tyrone was still posting! He’ll probably say some shit like “Ron Artest is 50 cent, cuz True Thugz Never Die” LOL!
November 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
doc says:
Yeah the Pistons the Roots except they traded Black Thought for Jay-Z.Will the chemistry be the same or will Hova think he the shit over everybody else and not pass the mic.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
D-NICE says:
Dime, y’all made some good points to back up the comparison between the two but comparing dirk to Eminem is an insult to shady period
November 7th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Ashlov says:
One choking franchise player goes round the outside, round the outside, round the outside!
November 7th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
doc says:
Dirk and Slim Shady both snort coke.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Illmatic says:
While I love Eminem’s work, his production is pretty whack. There’s something about his production that sounds so similar on every song. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to a song, and immediately knew he laid the beat. Consistency is one thing, being repitive is something else entirely.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Illmatic says:
repetitive*
November 7th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Zach says:
@ CGF
Are you gonna defend yourself on this or do you know realize that there is no comparison? lol
November 7th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
MadMax says:
Stick 2 fashion son
November 7th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Big T says:
Wow, this one is even dumber yet. What a waste of space on this website.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Celts Fan says:
@Brown, I’d put Eminem Show up there somewhere between great and classic, slide down Marshall Mathers LP (it’s solid, but if you go back and listen to it, it’s not quite the same) and you left off the 8 Mile Soundtrack, which is somewhere between good and great (Run Rabbit Run, the 4+ min. “freestyle” - obviously not freestyled, but there’s no hook, just Em going, is amazing to me, Lose Yourself is a classic, and 8 Mile Rd. was aight.)
Meanwhile Dirk has a bunch of good-to-great seasons and one great-to-classic season (hold onto that 2-0 lead and it’s just classic)
not a huge fan of the comparison, but it’s not terrible.
Anyone gonna make the Soulja Boy/Deshawn Stevenson joke or is it just too easy?
November 7th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
@ Celts fan–
The only reason they are even linked is that both Soulja boy and Deshawn both suck
November 7th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
There wasn’t jack on TV last night (OK well until the Portland game) anyways I was flipping thru the channels and came across Wild N Out and Snoop Dogg was doing his thing, just rippin everybody and then he ripped this white dude and said white boys don’t rap. I turned and and told my roommate that’s when EM should of popped out from back stage and started rippin Snoop.
EM when he’s on he’s the man
November 7th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
smity far away says:
“quite frankly the greatest producer in hip-hop history”
i’m a have to say i’ll take primo over dre all day everyday…or even timbaland…
November 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
MOVEZ says:
IS IT ME OR DIRK LOOK LIKE VAMPIRE!……